Coated material and method of making same



Jan. l2, 1937. E. H. HouGH, JR 2,057,488

COAVTED MATERIAL AND-METHOD OF MAKING SAME i Filed June 12, 1933 INVENTOR Patented Jn. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES COATED MAKIN MATERIAL AND METHOD oF G SAME Edward Hamilton Hough, Jr., New York, N. Y., assignor to Fabrifax, Ltd., Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application June 12, 1933, Serial No. 675,358

8 Claims.

This invention relates to coated material and particularly to a process of coating fabrics to which it is difficult to apply soft, smooth and continuous paint or enamel coatings. The invention is also concerned with the novel product produced by the process.

The invention is directed broadly toward the coating of fabrics, or fiexible fibrous sheets, with soft, smooth, continuous and pliable coatings,

10 whereby the said fabrics or brous sheets are rendered waterproof and soil-resisting. Flexible sheet material treated by the procedure of the present invention is adapted for use as draperies, coverings, upholstery, awnings and many other purposes for which material coated or impregnated with ordinary paint or enamel has heretofore been unsuited. While the ordinary oil paints, varnishes or enamels and even lacquers are well adapted to use with the present invention, the same is particularly applicable to that class of coatings known as elastic varnish enamels or elastic coatings which are characteristically soft and pliant as distinguished from hard and brittle and which, therefore, may be subjected to considerable flexure without breaking or cracking.

. While it is not new to coat fabrics or other fibrous material as by brushing, spraying; etc., with various types of coatings, such coatings, when they are applied in liquid form as oil paints, varnishes or enamels, or even lacquers, are relatively hard and stiff and on being subjected to flexure, exposure or wear soon crack or chip. For these reasons they are not adapted for use for draperies, upholstery, coverings, etc., where a smooth, soft, pliant, wearand soilresisting material is required. One reason whyv such known materials are hard and stiff is because it is necessary, in order to apply a liquid coating material, to treat the fabric or other brous body with a sizing of one kind or another in order to prevent the coating material from impregnating the base on which it is applied, and to enable a smooth, continuous sur- 45 face of coating material to be obtained. Such sizings become hard and stift and render the coated material hard and stiff. if no sizing is' used, the treated material becomes impregnated rather .than coated and the treated material be- 50 comes-dry and hard and does not possess a smooth, continuous surface.

Coatings of relatively thick, pasty material have also been applied to fabrics and fibrous sheets. Such coatings are usually applied with 55 a spreader lknife or bar and give a relatively (Cl. ll-33) thick coating which is stiff and likely to crack, and is unsuited for purposes where a thin, soft, pliable coated material is required.

An object of the present invention is to prolvide for the application of the coating of oil 5 paint, varnish or enamel, preferably of the class known as elastic coatings or elastic varnish enamels which are soft and pliant as distinguished from hard and brittle, to fabrics or suitable brous sheets which would ordinarily ab- 10 sorb such material to an extent which would make it impossible to procure a smooth, continuous and even surface, or, if -applied to a base material which has previously been sized, would yield too stiff a coated product.

Another object of the invention is to provide a process by which the above described application of coating material may be accomplished in a simple and novel manner which avoids the diiculties heretofore encountered in achieving this result.

A further object is to provide a substantially continuous process whereby material may be coated with a soft, pliable, continuous, smooth coating. o

A further object is to provide a product which comprises a coated fabric or other suitable brous combination which is very thin, soft, smooth and pliant and which has a coated surface firmly bonded to its base. y

A further object is to provide a coated surface for fabrics or suitable fibrous sheets which is smooth, continuous and waterproof and unusually resistant to wear and to the accumulation of dust and dirt thereon.

A further object is to construct a smooth, Waterproof covering material in the form of a continuous sheet and independent of any brous re-enforcement.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more clearly appear when reference ishad to the accompanying specification and drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic ele" yation of a series of instrumentalities through which the'rst steps of my process may be accomplished; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of the instrumentalities through which my process may be completed; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view, greatly enlarged, of a section of the composite material produced by the method of the invention at the point where it is separated into its constituent parts; and Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevations of transfer rollers which may 'be` utilized in the practice o f my invention.

In Fig. 1, Ill designates a; roll of sheet material,

' and passed over the rollers I3 and I1.

for instance, paper I I, preferably coated with lacquer or a suitable sizing. The roll is mounted so that the paper maybe unwound therefrom Take-up rollers I2 and I6 serve to take up the slack and keepthe paper firmly contacted against rollers I3 and I1.v Roller I3 may be arranged to rotate in a bath I5 of relatively non-drying oil or grease contained in trough I4, and b y contacting against the lacquered or sized surface of the paper Ill, transfers thereto a thin coatingof oil. The

trough I4 may be provided with a suitable agitator or other' device (not shown) designed to maintain the oil or grease continuously in contact with the roller I3 so that a uniform lm is applied to the surfaVce of paper II. e

Roller IQ may be provided to rotate a trough 20 which is kept filled with the coating material 2| ,-for instance, a varnish consisting of 90 parts 'spar varnish and 10 parts raw linseed oil vmixed with an appropriate quantity of pigment.

Offset roller I8 contacts against roller I9 and ltransfers va, thin layer of the coating material on the oily surface of the paper II. Roller I8, under certain conditions, may be replaced with a different type of roller as will hereinafter be explained. f

The material soI treated, designated now as 22, may be carried by a conveyor belt 24 supported 'by rollers 25 and 26, through a drying chamber 23, which is shown broken away in Fig. 1 in order to conserve space for purposes of illustration.

In this drying chamber the coating is subjected to a. temperature `of approximately 80" to 200 F. suicient to enable the coating material-2l to take on an initial set. From the drying chamber the material may be led into a festooner 21 of any suitable type in which the composite material is draped over rollers while being .40 subjected to heat conditions. The temperature andv time of drying are dependent, of course., upon the particular drying and setting qualities of the coating material used, the basic factor for consideration being that the material must be brought to a. semi-dry, tacky condition suitable for pressingupon the fabricas will now be explained. vUnder some conditions the treated ma- 4which is also led a sheet of fabric or other suitable material 43l from the roll 38. The fabric is thus pressed firmly against the tacky coating,.

which latter is simultaneously pressed into the interstices of the fabric and bonded or keyed firmly between the constituent yarns or threads thereof to give a smooth, continuous surface coating. The composite material thus formed is rolled onto a roll 34 on -beam 35. Subsequently, in the event that an embossed surface is preferred over a smooth one, an embossing device such as ai suitably embossed roller, may be contacted against the coating in order to give the desired embossed nish. The precise point at which the coating 2l is to be considered as in the proper condition for -drawn over roller 4I and the uniting operation must, as above indicated,

' depend upon the characteristics of the particuyarns or threads of the fabric.

In order to remove the base material upon which the coating has been built, the roll 34 is suitably supported as indicated in I'ig. 2, and the l composite material drawn therefrom. The fabric with its applied coating is drawn between'rollers 43 and 46 and through various other instrumentalities which Will be later referred to. Thev sized paper may be peeled from the fabric as py a blade or guide 40 which divides the composite material along its oiled orgreased. layer I5, as indicated in Figs. 2 and '3. The coated paper is wound upon reel ,42 for reuse.

Rollers or brushes 4 3 and 41 are arranged lto rotate in cleansing material 45 and 49 consisting of suitable oil or grease solvents, contained in suitable troughs 44 and 48. While passing over these rollers, the coated surface of the faibric is thoroughly cleansed of oil or grease which has accumulated thereon during the process. At this point the material, if it has been treated with a coating material in which color has been incorporated, vis practically completed and may be wound withv or without a suitable liner upon a drum upon which it may be dried over night preparatory to shipment. It can also be unrolled from the drum and more completely dried, or-it may-be led directly from the cleansing apparatus to al drying apparatus and subsequently rolled upon a drum preparatory to shipment. If, on the other hand, a coating material has been applied which lackscolor, a'subsequent coating may be applied to give the desired nish,-for instance,- a metallic coating designed to give a gilt or silvery finish. This may be accomplishedby brush 5I rotating in a suitable -trough 52v which contains finely divided metal powder. The

asl

brush is preferably rotated at. a speed greaterI than the speed of' thefabric in -order that the metal lpowder may be effectively distributed thereover. The -roller 54 'on the top of the fabric provides a support against which' this operation may be carried out. Brush 55 journaled over a suitable receptacle 56 may also be provided to remove surplus powder and this brush also revolves at a speed greater than the speed of the fabric. Roller 51 likewise provides a support for the other side of the fabric during the brushing operation. A bufling'- or polishing drum 58 may be provided to polish the surface, and roller 58 providesja foundation on which this operation may be carried out. The material may then be wound with liner 60 upon a beam 6| where it is rolled preparatory to any drying treatment desired, or, as previously explained, the material' may be led directly to a drying chamber Vand complete drying had before rolling preparatory to shipment.

A feature of the present invention is that a smooth continuous surface 'is obtained even though dust or other foreign particles become inter-mixed with the coating material or lodge onA the coated surface during processing. Such particles are pressed into or against the fabric or other material, to which the coating is applied and do not protrude'from the smooth surface formed by the pressing rollers 32 and 33. An- 75 other feature is that very thin films of coating material, considerably thinner than the films of coating material at present known as applied to fabrics andbrous sheets, may be very easily obtained.

While the invention has been described in connection with theordinary paints. varnishes or enamels which dry into a soft, pliable coating, other coating materials may be used. For instance, laltex of suitable viscosity, and in which suitable vulcanizing ingredients, including suitable accelerators, have beenincorporated, may

be used, and the drying treatment adapted to! bring about a coagulation sufficient to put the coating in condition for the uniting operation, vulcanization being subsequently accomplished in any desired manner, as by letting the material stand for a few weeks at room temperatures in order to enable 'high power accelerators of vulcanization to act.

'In some cases it may be desirable to produce a unitary sheet consisting of the coating material alone without any supporting fabric or fibrous body. In such case the material is taken from the apparatus-before it passes through squeeze rollers 32 and 33 and, of course, no base material is applied. It is then peeled from the support I I or removed therefrom in any desired manner.

Also, it may be expedient, whether or not the coating is -united with a base fabric or other support, to apply additional layersof coating material in order to obtain increased strength, better covering, etc., applied by brushing or spraying or by contacting the surface with another transfer roller inthe manner already described. l

In Fig.` 4 is illustrated a transfer roller 62l with a suitable design, for instance, a web 63, embossed thereon. 'I'his may be substituted for roller I8 in Fig. l in order to produce a design effect. In such case the process is carried out as previously described except that roller 62 is used to transfer the desired design to the oiled or greased surface of the sheet Il. As an example of how this may be accomplished, a green color may be applied with design roller 62. After the material is taken from the dryer or festooner, it may then be contacted with a smooth transfer roller, which may be arranged to apply a coat of contrasting color, for instance, red,-the composite coating being then subjected -to conditions designed to bring it into a semi- "without a fibrous re-enforcement may, of course,

be subsequently cut out in the form desired, for instance, with suitable openings to allow projections on the object to be covered to extend through it. A considerable saving may be effected, however, if a` roller o f the type indicated in Fig. is used inthe place of roller I8 of Fig. 1. Such a roller 64 may be provided with recesses 65 whichl prevent the coating material from being applied on the areas corresponding to the recesses of the roller 64 and these recesses may be very readily designed to leave cut-outs in the finished film at the points where they are desired in the covering. Patterns can` thus be formed without the use of dies or stamping machines, thus effecting a considerable saving in subsequent processing.

What I claim is:

l. The process of making a design coating comprising applying a non-drying oleaginous material to a base, superimposing thereover in a predetermined design, a film of coating material of the elastic varnish enamel type, drying the same, superimposing over said last mentioned film a continuous film of coating material of a contrasting color, and drying the same to a tacky condition, uniting said combined films with a suitable fibrous sheet and then removing the base on which said lms were built.

2. The continuous process of coating comprising applying to the surface only of a continuous temporary foundation sheet a thin layer of nondrying oleaginous material free from volatile solvents, superimposing upon such layer a smooth even layer of elastic coating material, drying said second layer. to a tacky consistency, uniting said tacky layer to a fabric by pressure, separating the composite sheet so formed along said first layer, and removing said foundation sheet, cleansing the second layer and then drying and finishing the same.

3. The continuous process of coating comprising applying to the surface of a continuous sheet a thin layer of non-drying oleaginous material, superimposing upon such layer a smooth, even layer of elastic coating material, drying said second layer to a tacky consistency, mechanically uniting said layer to a fabric, separating and removing said rst mentioned continuous sheet, cleansing the said layer of coating material and then drying and finishing the same.

4. The continuous process of coating comprising applying to the surface of a continuous sheet a thin layer of non-drying oleaginous material, superimposing upon such layer a smooth. even layer of elastic coating material, drying said second layer to a tacky consistency, uniting 'said layer to a fibrous sheet, separating and removing said first mentioned continuous sheet, cleansing the said layer of coating material and then drying and finishing the same.

5. The continuous process of coating comprising applying to the surface of a continuous sheet a thin layer of non-drying oleaginous material, superimposing upon such layer a smooth, even layer of elastic coating material, drying said second layer to a tacky consistency, uniting said layer with a fibrous sheet by pressure and then separating the thus coated fibrous sheet.

6. The continuous process of making an impervious unitary covering comprising applying to the surface only of a continuous temporary foundation sheet a thin layer of non-drying oleaginous material, superimposing thereon a smooth even layer of elastic coating material, drying said second layer, separating the composite sheet thus formed along said first layer and removing said foundation sheet, cleansing the second layer and then drying the same.

'7. The process of coating a fabric comprising forming upon a transfer sheet a coating of nondrying oleaginous material, immediately placing thereon a film of coating material, drying said -film to a semi-plastic condition, keying said semi-plastic film directly irfto a fabric by pressure only, separating and removing the thus coated fabric from the transfer sheet at the layer of oleaginous material, and then finishing the coated surface of the fabric.

8. The process of coating a fabric comprising forming upon a transfer sheet a coating of nondrying oleaginous material, immediately placing thereon a film .of coating material, drying said 111m to a semi-plastic' condition, keying said 

